Ukraine's Zelenskyy says 5 people killed in Russia's overnight strikes

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that five people were killed in Russia's overnight airstrikes in the city of Kharkiv and the Sumy region.

“The day before, the Russians hit a private house with a drone in Kharkiv. They killed three small children. Their father also died. My sincere condolences to the family and friends. The mother was hospitalized - the woman is pregnant, she received burns,” the president said in a statement on Telegram.

He added, “At night, 6 people were injured in a drone attack in Sumy region, including children. One person, unfortunately, died.”

Zelenskyy urged international partners to increase pressure on Russia and bolster Ukraine with new packages of financial and military aid.

Separately, Ukraine's General Staff said its aviation, missile troops and artillery struck nine areas of Russian personnel concentration, one drone control point, six artillery systems, five command posts and “one other important target.”

Ukrainian media outlets, citing sources, alleged that the “important target” likely refers to an oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd region that reportedly caught fire after a drone strike.

Volgograd Region Governor Andrey Bocharov, in a statement on Telegram, confirmed the “Russian Defense Ministry air defense units repelled a massive terrorist attack by drones on energy and civilian infrastructure facilities in the Volgograd Region,” causing damage to a residential building.

Bocharov added that emergency services were locating and disposing of drone debris.

In a separate statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 108 Ukrainian drones across Russian territory overnight.

Rostov Region Governor Yury Slyusar reported a large-scale drone attack across 12 districts, including the city of Volgodonsk, near the Rostov Nuclear Power Plant.

As a precaution, authorities canceled classes at all educational institutions in Kazan, the administrative center of the Tatarstan region, citing the threat of drone attacks.

All casualty figures and territorial claims are based on official statements from the parties involved. Independent verification remains difficult due to the ongoing conflict.